Plush toys such as stuffed animals are made of a soft inner material or stuffing such as foam which is held within an exterior fabric shell or skin which has simulated fur. Commonly, the outer fabric is sewn or constructed about the stuffing to resemble the shape of an animal such as a dog with a body, legs, tail and a head. The various limbs of plush animal toys are commonly formed simply as rigid appendages to the main body and stuffed with the same material, or mechanically attached to fittings mounted on the main body. Although these methods of construction are suitable to form facsimiles of animals or creatures including each of the various body parts, the result is not always as life-like as possible. Other design factors contribute to the overall appearance and physical characteristics of plush toys. For example, the density of the stuffing material dictates softness or rigidity, and the length and nap of the exterior material can give a plush animal toy a more realistic look and feel.
The present invention provides a plush toy in the form of an animal constructed in a manner which enables animated movement of a major body appendage such as the head relative to the body. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a plush toy in the form of an animal is constructed with an exterior material layer sewn into several cavities representing various body parts such as legs, a tail and a head. The cavities are filled with a plush material such as conformable foam. A major through-stitch is provided in the exterior material between the body and the head thereby dividing the cavities which define the body and head. Because there is no plush filling material in the area of the major through-stitch, the connected filled cavities of the head and body are relatively articulated by the major through-stitch, such that the head and body are freely relatively movable about the axis of the major through-stitch.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a separate body or object is articulably attached to the head at a point distant from the major through-stitch to provide increased mass and inertia to movement of the head relative to the body.
These and other novel aspects of the invention are herein described in particularized detail with reference to the accompanying Figures which depict a particular embodiment of the invention which may be equivalently executed in other forms.